University of Alabama freshman guard Collin Sexton was held out of the Crimson Tide’s Monday exhibition game after being declared ineligible by the institution. Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said Monday night that the school had acted on information it had received “in the last eight hours.”
Alabama applied for Sexton’s reinstatement upon ruling him ineligible but had not received notice of his reinstatement on Monday and chose not to play him in the exhibition.
UA officials gave no reason for the decision to declare Sexton ineligible but the freshman was identified by The Tuscaloosa News as one of the players mentioned in an FBI investigation into college basketball coaches and administrators accepting illegal payments. Former Alabama associate athletic director Kobie Baker reportedly received cash from a financial adviser’s representative in exchange for his influence with Sexton’s family.
“The NCAA informed us late this afternoon that Colin (sic) Sexton has not had his eligibility reinstated by the NCAA,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said in a prepared statement on Monday.
“We don’t have any further information at this time, but we will continue to cooperate with the NCAA and work toward a resolution that results in Colin’s (sic) timely reinstatement.
“While we are disappointed, the right decision was to err on the side of caution for tonight’s exhibition game.”
Sexton, a McDonald’s All-America selection and a projected 2018 NBA draft choice, was at the Monday night game but was not in uniform.
Reach Cecil Hurt at 205-722-0225 or cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com.
